Ancestors
The Ancestors of Mundanus are an alternate form of worship for those that do not wish to place their trust in the gods. Some ancestors are so old that their names are forgotten, though this means they are often incredibly powerful in comparison to other ancestors. Brief Description While the gods on their pillars take up the main worship, there is a second, more versatile way of religion. This religion, the worship of ancestor spirits, often takes place besides that of the gods, and is normally very specific to the person. An ancestor spirit that a person worships could be an ancient family hero, or a hero that had interacted with that person’s family while they were alive. Alternatively, heroes that were world famous can be revered, and in one case, a hero is revered as an ancestor spirit and a god. While gods have power to grant their followers a wide range of powers respecting to their domains, ancestor spirits are not so powerful, only offering similar abilities often related to just one domain, although with specific pacts with a few of the more powerful ancestor spirits, one can gain powers that the ancestor cannot usually offer. The most common example of this is becoming an Oathsworn of the Spiral, or making some sort of agent for the Sprial, in which the person gains a much more diverse range of abilities related to the Spiral’s own. Ancestor worship causes little conflicts, as spirits generally did not have interactions with each other, although with a few cases, such as Gaellar and Mortaran, conflicts will arise due to the two spirits having conflict while they were alive. While most ancestors are either worshipped commonly (as detailed below) or worshipped by an individual or family, some ancestors are worshipped by a particular race or group of people. Examples of these are the archfey that appear on the list of common ancestors below: Elaenor, Imrae, Deanna and the Hunter. These four are worshipped by the four elf races as they were all descended from these four beings. Other examples are Mercy, Justice and Vengeance, being revered by the country-spanning mercenary group, the Blue Scales. These people revere these ancient spirits as their group primarily specialises in bringing justice to evil-doers and generally seeking to avenge disasters, looking to turn wrong to right. In addition to granting powers to priests of an ancestor, some paladins can swear an oath to an ancestor, relating to what kind of person that spirit was in life. For example, a paladin taking an oath of Devotion might swear an oath to the ancestor Mercy, given her nature for forgiving, or a paladin swearing an oath of Vengeance might swear it to the ancestor Vengeance, given that when he was alive, he spent decades looking for a murderer that killed his family. Below is a list of the ancestors commonly worshipped in the Empire, but there are countless ancestor spirits that can be worshipped, each with their own unique story and domain they can grant power from. Common Ancestors 'Gaellar' (Arcana) Gaelar Goldleaf was has only four generations beneath him, but he lived for an incredibly long time, even for an elf. It is recorded that he was a very wise man and was one of the most powerful wizards to have ever lived, so much so that even his descendants have all been powerful wizards themselves. Shael Goldleaf mentored Estevan Blackfinger, the mage who assisted Emperor Sanys I to conquer the Empire. Gaeonin Goldleaf built the high elf settlement of Asport and set up a school there which took an army of drow to destroy with Gaeonin as the only defender. Aerie Goldleaf is the only living Goldleaf wizard, and is one of the most powerful wizards of her time, even though she was denied a position on the Council of Thirteen. Alarin Goldleaf was the final descendant of the Goldleaf family, though he was killed fighting for the rebellion during the Second Imperial Civil War of 755 IC. 'Black Sun '(Blood) The Black Sun was a powerful blood mage and apprentice to Mortaran, the lich king of Xelaphos. He often came to blows with Gaellar Goldleaf, though he survived Mortaran's fall due to the fact that he possessed none of his master's arrogance. For centuries before his death by natural causes, he looked for the secret of immortality and wished to produce a perfect soldier, conducting experiments on any poor souls he would pick up wandering about the streets in the early hours of the morning. Mainly blood mages pay him reverence, but there are some in the southern areas of the Empire that give occasional offerings in fear, as the Black Sun has become a sort of symbol or nightmare that parents tell children to make them behave. The Black Sun's primary following is the group known as the Children of the Black Sun. 'Mortaran' (Death) Mortaran is the most powerful necromancer who ever has lived, being so powerful that it was he who discovered the secret to lichdom and he used his power to rule the Ancient Xelaran Empire for nigh on a thousand years until he was finally overthrown and put down by Gaellar Goldleaf. Many people don’t pray to Mortaran regularly, but if they want someone dead, they might give a few offerings to him in case it speeds the process. The worship of Mortaran is completely outlawed within the Empire and is the only one of the common ancestors that is, though despite this ban, necromancer cults spring up everywhere in his name, and is a pest that will likely never be destroyed. Many paladins who have fallen and lost their powers often make a pact with Mortaran to regain their lost powers, becoming a Blackguard. 'Grimm' (Forge) The spirit of this dwarven hero is revered not only as a god, but as an ancestor. While yes, Grimm Thunderstrider ascended to godhood, but not before he performed many deeds in his mortal life. Regarded as the greatest smith in history and as an extremely competent warrior, he became an ancestor by helping Malerion and a powerful wizard, Icarus, in closing portals to Pandemonium, and it is thought Grimm gave his life to do this, as he was never seen again since. 'Josiah' (Grave) Josiah Elgram was the first Grand Inquisitor of the Empire back when it was still being formed. He was renowned for hunting the undead and for visiting families of soldiers who had died, delivering the bad news to them himself. 'Icarus' (Knowledge) A powerful wizard that lived in the same time period as Grimm, maybe six thousand years ago. He is revered by many as, with the assistance of Grimm and Malerion, he closed the gates to Pandemonium when they opened on the Calibration of 3000 BIC (Before Imperial Calendar). 'Mercy' (Life) Mercy is an ancestor spirit so old that his name is all but forgotten, though he is still strong, embodying the aspect of life he is named after. Mercy is also highly revered in the mercenary company called the Blue Scales. Mercy is said to have been a powerful priest of Olan, or perhaps a powerful mage. All that is known is that he protected the innocents of Paradise singlehandedly from evil crusaders. Paladins that swear fealty to Mercy often swear an oath of Devotion. 'Elaenor' (Light) Elaenor is actually one of the ruling cast of the fey left in the Feywild, but she is also the mother of Dorian, the fae prince of the high elves, so Elaenor is revered as an ancestor. Elaenor is the youngest sibling of the Summer Queen. While she is the ancestor to high elves, she is also revered by paladins who have sworn an oath of Redemption. 'Jaessal' (Love) Jaessal Salatore was a half elf born to unknown parents during the height of the Ancient Xelaran Empire. She was known for her efforts in Xelaphos in helping anyone in need. Currently, she is known as a saint, always putting others' happiness before her own, eventually dying of natural causes in poverty. 'Baker' (Luck) Jim Baker was a halfling breadmaker in a small settlement that has long been destroyed. He is regarded as the luckiest halfling in history. Some of his defining moments are: beening caught up in a Calibration where several hundred primordial demons descended on his home town; travelling to Laeth and being caught up in a skirmish between the elves and the dwarves; on that same journey being thrown in the back of a prison wagon with cultists of Mortaran by the Inquisition; and lastly getting out of that prison wagon by making an outlandishly impossible bet with one of the inquisitors for his freedom. Jim Baker is the reason for the common saying "Baker's Luck." 'Evelynne '(Lust) Evelynne Cederwood was a wood elf priestess of Alari who travelled between cities plying her trade. Her works made her famous throughout the ûeth|Empire]] as one of the most successful courtesans of her time, and many others in the trade look up to her. 'Arya '(Mind) Empress Arya Sanys I is said to be one of the wisest rulers of the Empire, and as such she is revered for the work she did during her time on the throne. Her main priority was improving the living standards of the poor and downtrodden, as well as keeping general happiness. Her determination was so great that she was killed during a cave-in in the tunnels of Khûndil while she was trying to help the dwarves recover the city. 'Imrae' (Nature) Another ruling fey, Imrae is the mother of fae prince Orion, and thus an ancestor to the wood elves. She is also one of the younger sisters of the Summer Queen. While she is the ancestor of the wood elves, she is also worshipped by warriors that protect ancient sites of nature, having taken an Ancient oath. 'Justice' (Order) Justice is another of the trio of ancestor spirits that have lost their names, but remain highly popular in their reverence, especially with the Blue Scales. He is recorded to have been a warrior the size of a bear who had a particular talent for slaying dragons, particularly a hungry black dragon that hunted the lands now known as Tyri. This ancestor is often worshipped by paladins or inquisitors that swear a crown Oath. 'Vengeance' (Tempest) Vengeance is the last member of the eldest trio and is the most revered in the Blue Scales. He is said to have been a powerful assassin or trickster who had experience in fighting ice orcs and lycanthropes, and he is often worshipped by paladins who take an oath with the inquisition under his name. 'Spiral '(Trickery) The Spiral is the ancient ancestor of many assassin guilds and was likely a powerful assassin or necromancer. His worship is often split into four aspects of the Spiral: The Hand, which focus on offensive operations; The Arm, which focuses on defending the sects; The Eye, which focuses on the connections to the sect such as trade and contacts; and The Voice, which focuses on the obtaining or spreading of information. Many of their members are challenged by the Spiral, with three levels of difficulty: ‘Walking with the Spiral’ implies a task you know you can beat; ‘Running with the Spiral’ is a task that the Spiral knows you can complete, if you put effort in; and ‘Dancing with the Spiral’ is often a deadly task that many people have not returned from. The Spiral’s guilds accept anyone, and many outcast paladins become Oathsworn. 'Deanna' (Twilight) Another of the ruling cast of the Feywild, Deanna is the mother of the fae prince, Isren, and an ancestor of the dark elves, though many who worship her are exiled dark elves because of her gentle nature. 'Caine' (Void) Caine was the first vampire to be born into existance. Whether by some mythical entity or by his own lust for power is unknown, but he became immensely powerful at a young age. He stalked the shadows of the cities, taking prey from wherever he wanted, be it a commoner or noble. His followers seek to follow in his footsteps, either by becoming a vampire or learning draw upon the power of Stygia to combat hostile magics. 'The Hunter '(War) The last of the Feywild ancestors, the Hunter is the father of the fae prince, Arianna, and so he is the ancestor to the white elves. He is the only brother to the Summer Queen, and he leads her armies against her foes with a fury unmatched by many beings, mortal or otherwise. Many warlike paladins that work for their country revere the Hunter, as they have sword an oath of Conquest.